6 Things New Parents Need to Know About Car Safety

Last updated on January 17th, 2026 at 07:02 pm

As a new parent, baby safety is your top priority – and keeping your newborn safe in the car is most likely on your mind. Here’s what you need to know about safety on the road.

1. Be car-seat safe. You know that an infant car seat will help protect your child in the event of a crash. But make sure the seat has a sturdy harness system, is placed rear-facing, and has padding around the sides to support your baby. Also check that your car seat is installed safely. If you’re unsure, find a certified car seat inspector near you at SeatCheck.org.

2. Buckle up, always. Speaking of car seats, your baby should always be in one when you’re in a vehicle. It might be more fun to hold her and buckle up together, but an infant (or a child) should never ride in your arms.

3. Babies in the back. You might be tempted to put your baby’s car seat up front so you can keep a closer eye on him while you’re driving, but don’t. The backseat is the safest and best for babies and children, who could easily get hurt by a deployed air bag if you were to get into an accident.

4. Watch the windows. To keep your baby’s fingers from ever getting pinched, always look before closing automatic windows. Keep them closed by turning on the child window locks.

5. Never talk or text while driving. A whopping 78 percent of moms admit to talking on their phones while driving (and 26 percent say they text or check email). You’ve heard it a million times, but here it is again: Never use your phone to talk or text while you drive – it’s just not worth the risk.

6. Always bring your baby with you. Don’t leave your baby alone in the car while you pop into stores to run errands, or for any reason at all. Children’s bodies heat up faster than adults’, and the temperature inside your car can jump 20°F in just 10 minutes! That puts your baby at serious risk for overheating, and even having heatstroke, or worse.

Keeping Your Family Safe from Frostbite

Last updated on March 29th, 2025 at 04:03 pm

This year we had an extended break over the holidays in order to visit the Canadian grandparents and ski the Canadian Rockies in Alberta. It’s a very beautiful part of the world and I do love visiting there….but in the winter, it is COLD!  Which is why I couldn’t help but laugh while we were packing for the trip – in our Midwest American winter – when my husband asked if I was packing the sunscreen. Seriously?! Whatever for?  You see, however much sunlight might reflect off snow while skiing, creating a risk for sunburn – in the Canadian Rockies – EVERYTHING needs to be covered up, even your face.

Our 12-year old son learned this the hard way, when he began getting frostbite on his cheeks after extensive time out on the slopes on one of the colder days.  We took care of it in fairly short order, but when I returned back to the U.S. and discovered it was actually COLDER in the Midwest than it had been in Canada, the idea of a frostbite post seemed like a good idea.

Windchill and Frostbite

When considering frostbite risk, a good place to start is with windchill, which is the term used for the rate of heat loss from the human body resulting from the combined effect of low temperature and wind. As winds increase, heat is carried away from the body at a faster rate, driving down both the skin temperature and, eventually, the internal body temperature.

It’s important to note that the only effect that windchill has on objects (or people) is that it shortens the time that it takes the object to cool to the actual air temperature (it cannot cool the object down below that temperature).  Windchill matters because, for any given temperature, with increasing winds, it increases the risk of – and reduces the time for – frostbite of exposed skin to occur.

A Frostbite Primer

At or below freezing (32 °F or 0 °C), blood vessels close to the skin start to constrict, and blood is shunted away from the extremities, like fingers, toes, ears and nose.  The same response may also be a result of exposure to high winds.  This constriction is helpful as it preserves core body temperature.  However, in extreme cold – or when the body is exposed to cold for long periods – this protective strategy can reduce blood flow in some areas of the body to dangerously low levels. This lack of blood leads to the eventual freezing and death of skin tissue in the affected areas.

The level of severity of frostbite is characterized in degrees – similar to burns – with the least severe level known as first degree, or the quaint, “frostnip”. Below is an outline of the degrees of frostbite severity:

First degree (aka Frostnip)

• Superficial cooling of the surface of the skin, without destruction of the skin cells.
• At onset, there is itching and pain, then the skin develops white, red, and yellow patches and becomes numb.
• Affected area usually does not become permanently damaged as only the skin’s top layers are affected – though long-term insensitivity to both heat and cold can sometimes happen after suffering from frostnip.

Second degree

• If freezing continues, the skin may freeze and harden (destroying skin cells), but the deep tissues are not affected and remain soft and normal.
• Injury usually blisters 1–2 days after becoming frozen. The blisters may become hard and blackened, but usually appear worse than they are.
• Most of the injuries heal in one month, but the area may become permanently insensitive to both heat and cold.

Third and fourth degrees

• If the area freezes further, deep frostbite occurs.  The muscles, tendons, blood vessels, and nerves all freeze and can be destroyed.
• The skin is hard, feels waxy, and use of the area is lost temporarily, and in severe cases, permanently. The deep frostbite results in areas of purplish blisters which turn black and which are generally blood-filled. Nerve damage in the area can result in a loss of feeling.
• May result in fingers and toes being amputated if the area becomes infected with gangrene. If the frostbite goes untreated, they may fall off.

Frostbite Prevention

In order to avoid frostbite in the first place, it’s helpful to keep track of both the actual temperature – and the windchill or apparent temperature – and plan your time outdoors accordingly.  For example, at an actual temperature of -10 °F, a light wind of 5 mph will make it feel like -22 °F and could cause frostbite after 30 minutes of exposure. But if the wind increases to 25 mph, it will feel like -37 °F and frostbite could occur in just 10 minutes – which might explain all the recent school delays and closures! The National Weather Service has a helpful windchill chart with estimated times for frostbite to occur.

When you and your family are outdoors in cold weather it’s also important to consider the following:

• Dress in layers of loose, warm clothing – and check for gaps in the coverings (such as between gloves and sleeves)
• Wear a hat or covering on your head – and make sure your ears are covered
• Wear mittens rather than gloves – so your fingers can share warmth
• Wear socks and sock liners that fit well, wick moisture and provide insulation
• Consider using hand or foot warmers – we got a lot of benefit from these skiing in Canada
• Try to keep moving outside to get blood flowing

Most of all, be aware of and check for signs of frostnip and frostbite, such as red or pale skin, and prickling feelings or numbness in the skin.

Frostbite Treatment

Frostnip – or mild frostbite – can be treated at home.  It’s important to get out of the cold soon after the signs appear and change into dry clothing if needed.  Warm the area gradually using warm (not hot!) water – about 100 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (no hotter!) – or body heat such as a warm hand pressed on the cold skin.  A couple of watch-outs:

• Do NOT rub or massage the area – this can further damage the skin
• Do NOT use direct heat from a heating pad, lamp, fire or radiator – as your skin will be numb and you will not be able to detect when it is burning

More serious frostbite needs medical attention immediately.  Again, warm the area gradually, but do not start warming if the area may become exposed to cold again – this can make the situation worse.  Remove any tight or wet clothing, and rest affected areas (e.g. do not walk on frostbitten feet). Also, leave any injured tissue intact for a physician to address – and follow the restrictions above for frostnip.

Thanks to my husband for the inspiration and much of the research for this post!

Looking For A Stress-Free Way to Get Your Toddler to Bed?

Last updated on March 29th, 2025 at 04:03 pm

By the end of the day, you’re wiped out. But your energetic toddler is still up and about — and fighting your every attempt at getting him to sleep.

It’s normal for toddlers to resist bedtime. They want to continue the fun, and they don’t want to separate from you. But getting enough sleep is essential for your toddler’s healthy development, not to mention your sanity. Here’s how to help your child slow down, switch gears, and head off into the Land of Nod.

1. Create a routine

Start each night with a relaxing routine that will set the stage for going to sleep. Changing into pajamas, brushing his teeth, and washing his face every night will help establish that these are the things that happen before bedtime. Other calming activities include listening to quiet music, reading a story, or giving him a bath. Resist the urge to play with your toddler at this hour, since it will only get him more excited than relaxed.

2. Be consistent

Stick with the same routine every night, so your toddler learns to expect that bedtime is coming. Soon he’ll know what’s expected of him, too.

3. Make it comfortable

Let your child take her beloved teddy bear or blanket to bed with her. Allow one drink of water. Turn on a nightlight before closing the door. Taking care of your toddler’s comforts will make it easier for her to relax — and give her fewer excuses for climbing out of bed again.

4. Pause before answering a call

Children this age are likely to call out to you after you leave the room. Resist the urge to respond every time your toddler cries out, and wait several seconds before answering. With each time she calls for you, wait a few seconds longer, which will give her the chance to fall asleep before you respond. When you do answer, remind her that it’s bedtime. If you go into her room, don’t turn on the light or stay too long.

5. Be patient

Teaching a toddler good sleep habits doesn’t happen overnight. And it isn’t easy, since toddlers love your companionship. But keep doing the same thing every night. Eventually, your toddler will learn to go along with the plan.

Bronchiolitis or “Wheezy Bronchitis” and Kids

Last updated on March 29th, 2025 at 04:03 pm

One of the more common illnesses that is encountered during the winter months in infants and young children is a respiratory problem referred to as Bronchiolitis or “wheezy bronchitis”. This is a condition caused by a viral infection that attacks the respiratory tree, both upper (nose and throat) and lower (the smaller airways leading to the air sacks in the lungs). It is most commonly caused by RSV or Respiratory Syncitial Virus. It can also be caused by other winter time viral infections but the exact cause is relatively unimportant as the symptoms are nearly the same.

Your child will usually develop signs and symptoms of a regular cold with sneezing, runny nose, mild cough, and sometimes a low grade fever. At this stage it will be impossible to tell if this will progress to bronchiolitis, but most of the time this will remain a cold and your “cures” are limited as your doctor will tell you. In a certain number of infants and young children, after a few days of the cold, the cough might progress to a more significant stage and the infant or young child may show some signs of having difficulty breathing; more rapid breathing rate than normal will usually be the first of such signs, but fever alone can raise an infant’s rate of breathing, and if you are unsure call your baby’s Doctor and he/she will help you figure that out.

Because the primary problem with bronchiolitis is swelling in the respiratory passages (lower and upper), air might have to begin to squeeze through narrower passages in the lungs and similar to what we have presented about asthma in the past, this may lead to wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling (musical) type of noise when your child breathes out versus noisy breathing in noticed in those infants with the upper airway cold. Admittedly this may be difficult to see by non- medical parents, but you can ask your Doctor how to do this in a reliable and repeatable manner.

Most infants and young children will remain in this stage and, as long as he/she is feeding well , does not have fever over 103, and seems fairly cheerful with his/her usual skin color, you do not need to worry, and all the symptoms will resolve as the cold goes away.

Occasionally, the situation can worsen with more difficulty breathing, now showing itself by your child using more muscles of his/her body to help force the air through the small airways in the chest: those muscles might include the abdominal, neck and intercostals (muscles between the ribs). At this stage your child should certainly be under the care of a physician, who might, depending on the appearance of your child admit him/her to the hospital so that more intensive care can be used to help him/her breathe.

The illness is self limited in that between 3 and 7 days normal resolution will take place. The worsening progression that I outlined above will generally not happen very fast and you will have time to see that your child is getting worse. Anywhere along the way, should you have doubts about your ability to adequately monitor your child’s status you should be talking to his/her Doctor.

I would like to stress once again that most bronchiolitis illnesses in infants and young adults remains mild and in fact may be indistinguishable from a normal cold.